Your partner for innovation processes

Innovations

Finding solutions.
Wowing customers.

We have been specialty paper experts for decades.
Our market leadership – whether in wallcover- , poster- , or abrasive base paper – is, above all, something that we owe to our pioneering spirit and desire to seek out the new. We never stop working on ourselves or our products, and observe new trends and market developments. Our highly flexible nature shines through when catering to the dynamically changing needs and demands of our customers.

We’re not just strong in the technical programme but also the free: We chart the unknown, as uncomfortable as this may be at times, experiment and work meticulously for as long as it takes to achieve what our customers expect from us. What results are innovations that open up new perspectives for our customers and end users alike. Marketable products emerge that make all the difference – keeping our customers’ finger on the pulse of time and setting them apart from their competitors.

Products

Behind the scenes at the research lab

Bringing ideas. Developing innovations.

An innovation process always starts with the customer expressing a need; typically a specific request based on a new product idea. Our first step is to look at its feasibility, and, as things continue, we set about the complex tasks. In doing so, we’re always looking for a challenge and striving to make the impossible possible, because our aspiration is to bring an innovative, original product to market.

Which is why we prefer to use unusual raw materials, as these generate unique paper qualities and individual product characteristics. At the core of our research and development work is the sustainability factor. Throughout the process, we take great care to apply sustainable raw materials and processes.

Should a product idea not be viable in the long run or fail to stand up to our rigorous checks, we either discontinue the project or we reimagine how it could work. Once we and our customers are satisfied with the results, the developed product undergoes a simulation in the laboratory with the help of a wide variety of appliances in the laboratory – such as our trial paper machine. As soon as the product has successfully completed the initial set of trials and exhibits the targeted characteristics and properties, we run a further comparison with everything that the customer had asked us to deliver. If everything matches up perfectly, the product goes into production on the main paper machine and is launched as a ready-for-market standard product. Adopting this approach helps us succeed in tapping new niche markets for KÄMMERER.

An innovation example from the packaging industry

The task. Our implementation.

How exactly is the development process behind a global innovation executed? A brief example:

A customer approached us to request that we develop a unique form of packaging paper with an unusual feel. It was also meant to be fully recyclable and compostable. A quick note in advance: the development phase from our first steps towards finding a solution to our client launching the product on the market only takes a few months!

Promising trials

To achieve the desired characteristics and properties, we used special viscose fibres. A challenge in itself as the processing of such fibres is anything but easy. But thanks to our experience using unusual pulp and fibres, the initial trials on the laboratory’s paper machine soon looked promising. During the optimisation phase that followed, we worked on improving the product’s characteristics and properties through a variety of recipes in order to:

maximise the strength, including for use as a carrier bag
enable multiple use
achieve a unique feel
guarantee its recyclability and compostability
optimise its printability
achieve high process stability

Viscose fibres are typically very difficult to process on a paper machine in such large quantities due to their elasticity. And, so, we needed to come up with an entirely new approach. Following the initial tests, we worked alongside our customer on the product under development until it had been optimised sufficiently for us to commence its industrial manufacture. Together with the developers, our production workers put in a tremendous amount of effort on the machine. Ultimately leading to the machine being set precisely to handle the perfect blend. The result: an innovative, sustainable product: recyclable, compostable, very stable and with a unique feel.

Market-ready innovation

Very soon after it was launched, our customer began to reap the initial successes of their new product. A reputable department store chain replaced their plastic carrier bags with the new paper version “MADE BY KÄMMERER”. The new paper carrier bags can be folded and re-used hundreds of times over. With each use, it becomes softer and sturdier. Spurred on by the result, our team of developers is already working on additional versions. To enhance its printability, the plan is to further optimise the surface, thus expanding the range of possible uses. In the case in question, our customer is considering mailing bags made of paper that might lastingly replace the plastic version.

[Translate to Englisch:] Neue Papiertragetaschen

New specialty paper from our
Research & Development

We embrace every new challenge that (new) customers give us, which we rise to with all the passion we can muster!

Chantaffiche Eco Solvent Paper

The new eco-friendly poster paper for digital printing delivers a good print quality at an attractive price

“In the paper industry, we have made a name for ourselves as a source of ideas and development partner. Numerous customers turn to us, because we find pragmatic solutions to their demanding challenges.”

Jürgen Oess
CEO KÄMMERER Spezialpapiere GmbH
KÄMMERER Paper GmbH